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Like but don't love

The premise of this post is to chat about products I have
purchased recently that although nice to look at and perhaps use would
definitely not qualify for a repurchase or a recommendation.

That’s the idea behind it anyway. Think of it as a passive
aggressive way of slagging something off. So let’s get started!

Estee Lauder Heat Wave

Did you know that this highlighter is currently retailing
for £80 on eBay. Yes, you heard that right. £80! The person that buys that is a
sandwich short of a picnic in my opinion because this highlighter, while
pretty, is not worth that sort of cash.

I bought this after a mention from Michelline and was
informed that although sold out worldwide this was currently in stock at many
counters in the UAE – all you have to do is ask/hover over the sales assistant
while they rifle through the drawer to make sure they don’t miss it.

Well I did was I was told and dutifully picked it up. It’s a
stunner to look at – all glossy gold packaging containing a well-pigmented
champagne gold highlighter. To the eye this is very appealing and I can see why
people collect these summer releases from Lauder.

However, while I do think this is nice to look at it doesn’t
“pop” on my skin. In fact it just looks like any other generic highlighter I
have stuffed in my drawer. The champagne shade doesn’t really translate when
applied and instead I get a brush full of gentle shine.

True story: Laura captured the moment I paid a whopping
amount for a singular nail polish in Level Shoe District (Dubai) on camera so
she could retail-shame me forever more. She was horrified. I was excited.

I got the very me (AKA boring) colour – Tres Decollete. This
is essentially a pale, baby pink and sits at the heart of The Nudes collection.
When I examined the full colour range this was the only one that I really liked
and the one that I knew I would be more likely to actually use up. I know
normal people probably get the red but I generally prefer a red that sits
beyond the classic Louboutin shade (i.e., brighter or more merlot-toned). So
generic Tres Decollete it was.

Yes, it’s very expensive and no, the polish quality and
consistency does not warrant the price tag. It wears as any good Essie or even
Barry M polish would – marry it with a decent base and top coat and you will
get a comfortable 5-6 days of wear time before the chips settle in.

What you pay for here is pretty obvious – it’s the design of
the bottle. When I first spotted this on Instagram I was not a fan for
practical reasons (the spike scares the living daylights out of me) but at this
point I love the fact that the heart of the brand is represented in the
aesthetics. He could so easily have slapped his name on a bottle that was
cheaper to manufacture but instead made the effort to create something that
both looks and feels truly special.

Am I going to buy more? Am I heck! Have you seen
the price? I would have been tempted if the polish had been sensational but
what you see above required three careful coats so there is nothing outstanding
about the formula. This is firmly sitting in the “one off” category.

Bobbi Brown Sheer Brights For Eyes

For the record, I didn’t buy these eyeshadows – I was sent
them.

These are so wonderful to look at.

It’s a pastel paradise,
with a mix of two finishes: metallic (read: high shimmer) and shimmer wash
(sheer with a light pearl).

Some of the colours are very wearable – Golden Amber for
example is very pretty on and gives a delicate, pretty finish…

it's a great shadow actually.

…the others however are more of a challenge for me. I mean I
like looking at the baby blue, sea green and lavender shades but other than perhaps using
them along the lower lash line or to blend out other colours, I just can’t
imagine them working.

I think much of this comes down to age. I can’t help but think
that much of this line would be perfect for a teenager. The pigmentation is
sheer – and so much more appropriate for that age range – and the colours themselves
encapsulate a youthful approach to makeup. Now you might argue that a teenager
is hardly going to be able to afford a £17.50 a piece eyeshadow and I think you
have a point there. As nice as these shadows are to admire they present too
much of a challenge for me.

Right, I could go on (and on and on) with this post but I’ll stop here for fear
of boring you with prose.

I would love to know what products you have
encountered recently that qualified as being okay…and yet not repurchase-or-recommendation worthy.

I always admire your honesty and I was pretty jealous when I saw you had managed to track down the EL highlighter and totally gutted for you that it was 'nothing special'. Get it on eBay and buy yourself something pretty instead. You tried Mac Velvet Teddy lipstick yet?

Again, great post idea! For me, Chanel nailpolishes fall into said category: The colors suck me in, but I find the longevity and application horrible. To me, the price point isn't justified and any drugstore brand or Essie gives me way better results. Same for Well Dressed blush from MAC: gorgeous color, but the payoff is so disappointing. Maybe it's due to my complexion, but I have to swirl the brush like nobodies business to see just a tiny bit of color on my cheeks. As I like the color so much I will continue to use it, but definetely wouldn't repurchase.

Love this post Laura! I really appreciate your honesty! Those Bobbi Brown eyeshadows were sent to you and you still gave your honest opinion. You just can tell in other blogs the fake OVER EXCITEMENT about the products they get from the brands to "review".

I actually just watched MakeupbyTiffanyD's video and she bought of the of the louboutin nail polish, the red one, and while i can see myself buying it if i find myself in front of it, I was having some bad visions of myself poking my eyes out while applying the polish or worse - my son stabbing himself. (over-reacting much?)

Love honesty as always!

ps.sandwich short of a picnic - bahahahaha we have visitors from the UK currently I've heard this too many times this week - still hilarious though!

I agree with your review on the Louboutin nail polish, it is hugely expensive for an average product but the bottle makes such a lovely ornament on my dresser it kind of makes it worth it! No?! Have a great day

Laura! I can't believe I found you (again)! I used to read your blog and watch your YT videos way back when... what, 5-6 years ago? And then I just did a random search on Clinique soft matte lipstick and your blog popped up! Thanks to that I, A) ended up getting the lipstick in "Matte Mandarin" (obsessed!) and B) have my favourite blogger back! So happy :)

I'm sad to say but I agree with the polish review. The bottles are gorgeous and I'd love to collect them all - not to use just for decor - but, golly, at over $60 AUD {last time I checked} it's a bit ridiculous.

I agree about the bobbi brown eyeshadows. I would NEVER wear pastels on my eyes... young and old hehe. Those are the type of colours i see at counters and just brush off because they will never work on me. It took buying many many palettes to realise browns are the only colour i use. I did see a lot of lovely nude brown palettes at bobbi brown lately :) I still regret a very beautiful Dior garden palette i bought with pastel eyeshadows... i will never touch it :(

my latest hype that i haven't tried yet is the newly launched Gucci make up. it looks the nuts and is created with such careful detailing, i only wonder if the products lives up to it. its pretty pricey but still affordable. i dont know if its made it to UAE yet, but do blog about it, if you come across it. x

I gasped a little at the beauty of the EL highlighter when I first saw it. It's a shame it doesn't quite translate as well as you'd hope/expect. I finally witnessed the CL polishes in real life this week, they're so much bigger than I expected. Part of me wants one for the sheer dressing table joy, but I suspect I probably won't... xx